limbaj

Forms

limbaj n (plural limbaje)^[1] The older form limbagiu (plural limbagii) appears in Heliade: „Imitând frumosul limbagiu al cărților sale” “imitating the fine language of his books”.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from Romanian limbă + -aj on the model of French langage: DLR, Tiktin, Scriban and Wiktionary agree on this.^[2][4][5][1] MDA2 describes it as a derivative made after the French word, Wiktionary as a partial calque of it, and MDN gives French alone.^[6][1][7]

The 19th-century form limbagiu is modelled on Italian linguaggio, according to DA;^[3][8] Marcu and Maneca compare the Italian word too.^[3][8] limbă is inherited from Latin lingua (“tongue, language”),^[1] and the French word goes back to Vulgar Latin *linguāticum, built on the same Latin word.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1841, with the senses “speech” and “manner of speaking”.^[4] The earliest quotations in DLR, from Heliade and the 1840s–1860s writers, use the form limbagiu for the way of speaking of a group or a time: Ion Ghica's limbajul provinciei noastre “the speech of our province”, Filimon's limbagiul diplomației ciocoiești “the language of upstart diplomacy”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The first sense was a particular manner of speaking within the common language, the speech of a region, a trade or a social group.^[2][5] The form limbaj, after French, displaced limbagiu in the late 19th century: DLR quotes both from Maiorescu, Odobescu and Eminescu to Caragiale.^[2] In the 20th century the word took on the general sense of the human faculty of speech, then any system of signs used to communicate, including the languages of computer programming.^[9][7][10] MDA2 lists set phrases such as limbaj verde “blunt, frank speech” and limbaj cu cheie “coded speech”.^[6]

Timeline

• 1841 – first record.^[4]
• 19th century – limbagiu in Heliade, Ghica, Filimon and Maiorescu.^[2]
• 1862 – in Pontbriant's dictionary.^[2]
• late 19th century – limbaj in Caragiale.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. The human system of communication by articulate sounds, through which people express thoughts and feelings; language; limbă, grai.^[9][6]
2. The language of a historically formed community.^[9]
3. A particular manner of expression within the common language: limbaj comun “plain speech; common ground”, limbaj verde “blunt speech”.^[9][6]
4. Any system of signs used to communicate;^[6][8] limbaj artistic, the means of expression of an art.^[6][8]
5. (computing) A system of characters and symbols used in programming; a programming language.^[7][6]

Related words

• limbă
• French langage

Usage notes

The plural is limbaje;^[9][6][10] DLRLC and MDA2 also give limbajuri.^[9][6][10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. limbaj
3. ^ a b c Academia Română (1913–1949), Dicționarul limbii române (DA), ed. Sextil Pușcariu, tom I (A–B, C, D–De) and tom II (F–I, J–Lojniță), București: Socec / Universul / Monitorul Oficial și Imprimeriile Statului; page scans at cflr-scans.solirom.ro, p. s.v. limbaj
4. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. limbaj
5. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 746
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1366
7. ^ a b c Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. limbaj
8. ^ a b c d Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. limbaj
9. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 591
10. ^ a b c Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 2, 758